accents

after living in pittsburgh for all these years, i apparently still have my west virginia accent. which is kind of funny because i never really thought i had an accent... compared to a lot of west virginians i know, anyway.

people i meet - "you have an accent, where ARE YOU from?"
me - "west virginia."
people i meet - "i knew it, a southern accent!"
me in 1994 - "well, actually west virginia is part of the north, you see during the civil war..."
me now - "yeah."

it is more noticeable if i am nervous or angry, or have had one too many vodka cranberries. and EVERY time i go to the pediatrician he makes a comment, as if noticing for the first time. "what is EEN-SHUR-EENCE?" he asks, "is that the same as insurance?" haha.

meanwhile, mm grew up in buffalo. we have had hour long conversations about the names "don" and "dawn" - for me they are one in the same, for him, not so much. his mom is from niagara falls and his dad is from new york city. so let's just say he's got his own accent issues. one of the first words i noticed was "coupon" pronounced, "KEW-PON."

anyway, on to the point of the post. our kids were all born in pittsburgh. they are all starting to say things with a little upturn inflection at the end. "you like those pierogies." as if making a statement while asking a question at the same time.

any individual accent on its own. lovely. fabulous.

but our kids... buffalo, west virginia, and pittsburgh.

"ya'll going to bahn-tahns n'at?"
all rolled into one.
they are just doomed.